LIN: Well, we'd better get down to business. Mr Tang, to start off with, I just want to say we believe we can offer you a very good deal and come up with a win-win result.

VICTOR: Well, from our point of view, we see it as an exploratory talk - testing the water you might say.

SUE: We don't intend to reach any agreements at this meeting - in any case we would need to run it past our board first.

JOHN: You haven't heard our terms yet - you may find them hard to resist! (Victor and Sue exchange a raised eyebrow)

LIN: Of course we understand you need time to consider any offer. My first priority is to keep the negotiations open.

VICTOR: What's your proposal Ms Chan?

LIN: We're prepared to offer a very attractive price for a minimum sale, in exchange for a two-year contract. John will clarify the terms. A negotiation is a discussion that should result in an agreement or business contract. The discussion is usually between two parties - or organisations - trying to reach an agreement satisfactory to both.

In a negotiation, we need to reach a position that it is not too difficult for either side to accept, so the language we use is important - and it's also important to listen carefully.

When starting a negotiation, begin with a greeting, and what we call 'small-talk' - something to 'break the ice', or make the meeting a friendly one. Hello, Lin Chan, Sales Manager for National Sugar - and my associate John Martin.

Very pleased to meet you. I'm Victor Tang, and this is my legal adviser Sue Panay.

I hope you had a pleasant flight over.

Yes, we did thanks.

Are you staying for a few days?

Unfortunately we need to get back to Manila tomorrow. Lin starts by introducing herself and her associate. It's important that everyone at the meeting knows their roles, so Victor also introduces Sue by telling them her job.

Before they start the negotiations, John asks about their journey. He says 'I hope you had a pleasant flight', and asks how long they are staying. This way, the negotiation starts in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

Here are a few phrases you could use to put the other party at ease. I hope you had a pleasant flight.

Are you enjoying Sydney?

How is your hotel? In some cultures, it is usual not to talk about business straight away, but in others, it is expected that you will get down to business quickly. You just have to judge the situation, and feel your own way.

How does Lin signal that it is time to start the negotiation? Well, we'd better get down to business. Lin says 'we'd better get down to business'. Notice that she makes it a suggestion. She is suggesting they should talk business.

Practise some phrases for suggesting it's time to talk business. Well, we'd better get down to business.

Shall we get down to business?

Well, how about we get down to business? The next thing Lin does is make an opening statement. An opening statement should tell the other person what you are expecting to get out of the meeting. The opening statement would normally be made by the person who requested the meeting.